


Helpful

by chiefmomboss



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: F/M, Sickfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-17
Updated: 2015-11-17
Packaged: 2018-05-02 01:19:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 638
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5228399
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chiefmomboss/pseuds/chiefmomboss
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Varrick tries to cheer up Zhu Li after she comes down with the flu.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Helpful

Varrick leaned into the kitchen. Zhu Li stood over the stove, and he could hear something sizzle in a pan. He smiled. She wore his nightshirt.

“Morning,” he breathed. He hugged her waist, set his chin on her shoulder.

“Don’t,” she answered. Her voice was hoarse, and her words ended in a sniffle. “I’m sick.”

He squeezed her waist. “I’m not afraid of a little bug.”

She patted his hands. “No, honey, I’m really sick,” she said. She picked up the skillet and spooned it’s contents into two bowls. Varrick let go, and stepped back as she turned around.

Her eyes were red, her cheeks pink, and her under eyes were dark purple. He took one bowl of eggs from her. “You don’t look too good,” he said.

“Can you handle work today without me?” she asked. The words made her sound like gravel was stuck in her esophagus.

Varrick nodded. He set the back of his hand on her forehead, having seen her do it before to him. Except he wasn’t sure what he was looking for.

She started to laugh, which quickly turned into coughs. When the coughing stopped, she still smiled. “Do I feel warm?” she said.

“Yes.”

“Here,” she said, holding out the other bowl of eggs. “I’m going back to bed.”

He stared at the bowl of eggs, little pieces of tomato mixed in. “You have to eat, Zhu Li.”

“I will in a little bit,” she said. “I’ll be fine.”

“Sleep good,” he said. He kissed her cheek as she walked past him.

Before Varrick left for work, he peeked into their bedroom to check on Zhu Li. She'd pulled the curtains shut and lay tangled up in the sheets, unable to be still.

He pouted, then closed the door.

He asked the cleaning lady to make sure Zhu Li ate at something.

* * *

At lunchtime, Varrick disappeared from the factory and grabbed a bouquet of flowers from a stand on the walk home.

Zhu Li was in the living room, curled up on the couch and wrapped in a blanket. He carefully crept up behind the couch and held the flowers out to her.

She jumped, and immediately started coughing.

He hopped over the couch. “How are you feeling?”

“Fine,” she said. “You didn’t have to come check on me.”

“I wanted to.” He offered her the flowers again. “I couldn’t remember which were your favorites so I got one of everything.”

“Lilacs,” she said. “Thanks—I wish I could smell them.”

She set them on the coffee table and leaned back onto him. He slid an arm around her. “What happened to being too sick to touch?” he teased.

“I’m too tired to care,” she answered. She sniffled. “When do you have to be back?”

Varrick pulled out his pocket watch. He flipped it open, finding the flimsy newsprint photo of them glued in one side. He glanced back to Zhu Li, eyes shut and mouth open just enough to breathe. “I don’t,” he said, returning the watch.

* * *

Varrick didn’t realize he’d fallen asleep until he woke to the sun shining through the living room window as it sunk to the west.

Zhu Li was sound asleep against him. He stroked her hair and listened to her snore lightly. He set his hand on her forehead—still warm.

She could do anything—even stuff she didn’t know how to. She’d figure it out. Him? Brilliant engineer, excellent businessman, but flame-prone cook and undereducated nurse. Apparently a decent pillow, though. He leaned down and kissed the top of her head.

Zhu Li blinked her eyes open. She wrapped her hand in his jacket. She smiled. “Thanks.”

“Feel any better?” he asked.

“A little bit.”

“Anything I can do for you?”

She worked her arms around him, hugging him tight. “This is fine.”

 


End file.
